The Galaxy Stone
by MaxiCavLover
Summary: When Steven comes across a strange new stone his world is thrown into chaos. Team Galactic will stop at nothing to get their hands on this stone, forcing Steven to send his 1 year old daughter into hiding. After confronting Team Galactic at the headquarters, Steven goes missing presumed dead. His daughter brings it upon herself to find him once she learns the truth of her heritage.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Summoning Stone

15 years ago

Steven glanced behind his shoulder, certain that he was being followed. Ever since he had found the strange, black stone with colours that swirled like the galaxy in its center, he had felt a nearby presence wherever he went. He had researched the stone to no avail, before declaring it a newly discovered stone, and naming it the Galaxy Stone. A befitting name, based on its looks. He had not yet figured out what its purpose was, but he was determined to find out.

He was currently holed away in Mt. Shady, trying to find anything that would help him figure out what the stone was, and its capabilities.

The sound of small rocks moving made him glance over his shoulder once again, and goose-bumps show up on his arms and neck.

"Who's there?" He called out.

The sound of scraping feet followed, and three men and a woman stood in front of him, all clad in the Team Galactic Uniform, though various forms of the original version. They must have been more than just grunts.

"My name is Lord. Salazar," The middle man said, before gesturing to his companions "And these are my followers, Mercury, Venus and Pluto,"

"I know who you are," Steven told him, standing up to his full height. "What do you want?"

"Now, now, we both know that you know exactly what I am here for," Lord. Salazar told him. "Hand over the rock, and no one will get hurt,"

"Over my dead body," Steven told him "Help me out Metagross,"

"If a battle is what you want, a battle is what you shall have," Lord. Salazar replied with a grin. "Toxicroak, Arcanine, you're up!"

His companions also sent out their pokemon, and the battle was on.

xOxOx

Steven signed on the dotted line, opening a new account and transferring all of his belongings into it.

"And you are certain this is untraceable?" He asked yet again.

"Of course sir, no one will ever find out who this account belongs to. As far as they are concerned, it belongs to an old elderly woman who wished to live her final years of life on a secluded beach," The bank manager informed him.

"And you will make sure my daughter gets away from here?" He insisted, his eyes searching frantically into the bank managers.

"Of course, my wife is doing the job herself. She knows a lovely couple back in Hoenn, who run an orphanage. Your daughter will be sent there and cared for properly. She will only find out her true identity on her sixteenth birthday, when she receives her starter pokemon, and her inheritance," The bank manager told him. "And as soon as the girl arrives, they will be closing down their current orphanage, and reopening in another town, without any trace of the old location,"

"Good, good," Steven sighed "I just can't believe it has come to this. But it is too dangerous for her to be with me, and far too dangerous for me to leave her at home, with our employees,"

"I understand, sir. These are grave times. Your daughter must be protected, and as her mother is… no longer with us… it makes sense to take her to a loving couple far away from all of this nonsense,"

"I agree, I just can't help but thinking this will be the last time I will ever see her again," Steven said truthfully, running a hand over his face.

"Now, Mr. Stone, don't talk such nonsense. You are the strongest person I know," The bank manager insisted "If anyone can defeat a bunch of unruly thugs, it is you,"

Steven looked up, a look of determination on his face "I just hope you're right.

A knock on the door rang through the office, and a small, petite old lady entered the room, carrying a tiny baby girl in her arms.

"It is time Steven, we must leave now if we are to catch the next ship," The woman told him.

He nodded, reaching out towards his baby. "You may not understand this now, but in fifteen years you will. You may hate me for abandoning you, but this is the only way I can protect you. I never knew before, what finding that stone would do to our futures, to your mother… And I cannot reverse the clock," He untied a thin black ribbon from his neck, a strange dark stone attached in the middle. "This is all I have left to leave you,"

"Mr. Stone," The woman said urgently.

"Hush Helga, give the man a bit of peace. He is saying goodbye to his baby," The bank manager told her.

"Here," Steven said, handing Helga a letter, scrawled with the name _Azure_. "Please make sure she gets this on her sixteenth birthday,"

"Of course, dear," Helga replied, grabbing the letter and the baby back off of him. "You will see her soon. Once this is all over, I will take you to her,"

Steven nodded, but his gut feeling kept telling him he would never see her again.

"Goodbye for now," Helga said, giving a small wave and exiting the room.

"You should also be leaving, Steven. It is a long way to Veilstone City," The bank manager told him.

Steven nodded, grabbing his bag and making his way out.

That was the last time the bank manager saw him. Rumors emerged that Steven Stone was taken prisoner by Team Galactic, while others insisted that they killed him.

The bank manager could only hope it was the former.


	2. Chapter 2 - Found Out

DISCLAIMER: I do not own pokemon. The only things I do own, are my ideas for this story and my character Azure. Thanks!

Chapter 2: Found Out

Present Day

POV: Azure

I had always wondered what it would be like to enter into a contest. I had thought about all the different pokemon I could catch, and what sort of moves would go well together, after watching other people compete on TV. I would now finally get the opportunity to choose my starter pokemon, and go on my own journey to become the best coordinator in the world. I had already packed up my room, most of my meager belongings would go into storage at the lab until I came back from my journey. My room was now ready for a new orphan. I didn't have a lot, and the orphanage no longer took responsibility for the belongings of those who had come of age. The orphanage used to be owned by a lovely elderly couple, who would keep all of your belongings until you came back, but they had both passed away. The orphanage was now owned by a group of four sisters, who cared more about the money they received from the government for 'taking care' of over thirty girls then the girls themselves.

"Az, are you leaving now?" A small voice asked from the doorway.

I turned to see a small girl.

"Hello Grace," I said back "I am, and I hear you're moving up to a big girl room to make way for a new baby,"

She nodded eagerly "But… I don't have anything for my room," She said sadly "It's going to be so white. I hate white,"

I reached over to my box marked 'room decorations,' and handed it to her.

"I don't have much," I told her "But it's all yours," The only box I really needed was my personal items, a picture of my parents and an old stuffed teddy bear.

"Are you sure?" Grace asked me.

"Of course. Now I really better get going," I told her "I will write to you as much as I can. Just be good, and the sisters won't even notice you,"

Grace had a knack for getting into mischief. Her tiny body was already marked with scars and a few bruises. My own body was a mirror, for when I stood up for Grace and took her punishment. The sisters didn't take mischievous children very well. Especially the eldest sister, who carried around a whip for 'keeping us all in line'.

Grace shrugged "I'll try,"

I hated leaving her there, but there was not a lot I could do. The legal age for journeying with pokemon was 16, and she was a lot younger than that.

Before I left the orphanage, carrying my one box marked 'personal' I scooped her up for a hug.

"Be good," I told her again.

xOxOx

The lab was fairly close to the orphanage, a ten minute walk.

The moment I arrived, I knew something was wrong. The front door was wide open, and everything was broken or damaged. The shelves were toppling over, their contests scattered over the floor. I stepped into something wet, and noticed that every potion, and all other medical supplies were leaking out of their broken bottles and onto the floor. I left my box next to the front door, and headed inside,

"Professor?" I called.

A muffled sound replied.

I took a few steps towards the next room, opening the door slowly.

"Professor?" I called again.

I cautiously stepped into the room, noticing the Professor strapped to a chair with rope, a gag in his mouth.

"Well, well, well, I have been expecting you," A voice said from behind me. I turned to see a man in the doorway, his dark green hair pulled back into a pony tail. "Azure Stone,"

"How do you know my name?" I asked, my voice quivering.

"I know a lot about you. It took a while for us to find you, but as soon as the sisters took control of the orphanage, they informed us right away," He told me "I thought the orphanage was a good way to obtain new recruitments. I didn't realize it was the safe-haven of the girl I had been searching for all of these years. You look a lot like your father. Same hair, same eyes,"

"My father?" I repeated.

"Of course, Steven Stone," The man continued "Quite an astounding man. Collector of rare stones, heir to the Devon Corporation. He sold that of course, left everything to you,"

I had an inheritance?

"I believe this is yours," The man told me, handing me a piece of paper.

I unfolded it carefully, reading every word slowly.

_My dearest Azure,_

_There is so much I wish I could tell you, but I am pressed for time._

_The day you came into the world was the happiest of my life. Your mother, Mira, and I were overjoyed._

_She spent her days looking after you, so that I could continue my dream of finding rare stones._

_I did not expect to find something as precious as I did though._

_The stone around your neck is named The Galaxy Stone, but there are other names for it._

_Team Galactic call it The Summoning Stone, and have reason to believe it can summon Arceus, the creator of the universe. They wish to use this stone to alter the world, and create a new world with no pokemon. In this world their leader, Lord. Salazar, rules over everyone._

_We cannot let this happen. _

_Team Galactic do not know where you are, so you and the stone are safe. I have left you all of my possessions, but please use caution when accessing them. I have gone through immense measures to ensure your name is not linked to any of them._

_I sincerely hope that all went to plan, and I do not need to give you this letter, but if it does not, know that I did everything in my power to keep you safe. Know that I love you with all of my heart, and I am terribly sorry I have left you with this great burden. Keep the stone safe, it must not fall into the wrong hands._

_Love always,_

_Your father, Steven Stone_

I read the letter a few more times, trying to get my head around the words. The necklace I had worn all of these years was called a Galaxy Stone? I had heard of Team Galactic, but hadn't they been disbanded years ago, when their leader Cyrus had perished into an unknown world?

"Who are you?" I asked the man in the doorway.

"Everyone calls me Neptune," He replied with a grin. "Now enough of this chit-chat. Hand me the stone,"

"Never," I replied. My father had died protecting it, there was obviously a reason for that.

"I was hoping you would say that," He grinned. "Come on out everyone. It's time to fight,"

Five people stepped out of the shadows. They all had the same bowl-shaped light blue hairdo, and the same Galactic Uniform. They threw their poke balls simultaneously, and five Golbat and five Mightyena stood in front of me.

"Crap, crap, crap," I whispered.

I turned on my heel and fled. I wasn't sure what I was doing, I could never outrun a group of Mightyena, let alone Golbat who could see my every move from the skies. I felt teeth nipping my ankles, and cried out in pain.

How was I going to get myself out of this?

A bright, shiny orb of light flew through the trees, smashing into the Mightyena.

They howled in pain, turning their attention to a small, blue dog-like pokemon.

"Run," A voice said in my head.

I didn't need to be told twice. I started to run again, making my way into the forest.

"Golbat," A voice said from above. I looked up to see that the Golbat were still following me.

How was I going to get away from them?

In the end, I didn't have to worry. A powerful electric attack came from the bushes in front of me, hitting the Golbat head-on.

A man who looked to be in his forties stepped into the clearing, an Electivire close behind. His dark blue hair was streaked with grey, and his brown eyes looked much older than his age.

"Once more Electivire," He commanded.

The Golbat came crashing to the ground, fainted.

"Are you all right?" The man asked me.

I nodded slowly. Who was this guy?

"My team are at the lab," He told me "We must go back there at once,"

"Was the Riolu yours as well?" I asked him.

"The what?" He replied.

"The Riolu," I repeated "It took care of the Mightyena,"

"I don't know anything about these Mightyena, or a Riolu," The man told me.

"Oh," I replied, slightly disappointed.

"My name is Roderick Grey," The man told me "I am the head of The Illuminators, a team dedicated to the eradication of Team Galactic. We have been watching you since the day your father gave you that stone. And it seems like we came here in the nick of time!"

"The nick of time? How about the last _two years_ since the sisters took control of the orphanage?" I countered "They're members of Team Galactic!"

"I doubt that," He replied "We looked into them. They're clean. Anyways, let's head back to the lab,"

I followed him back to the lab, thinking about how much of an idiot he could be.

There were two more men, as well as a women, waiting in the lab with the professor, who had been released from his bindings.

"Hello Azure, nice to meet you," The professor told me "I am sorry about all of that,"

"That wasn't your fault," I replied "But it would be nice to know what's going on,"

"Well, as you now probably know, that was Team Galactic. It was believed that they were disbanded many years ago, but in truth they continued their operations in a secure location under the rule of a man who calls himself Lord. Salazar. They have been after that stone for many years, even longer than when you father first found it, fifteen years ago,"

"My father said in his letter that this stone could summon Arceus, is that true?" I asked.

"It is," The professor replied "But it also grants the holder power over Arceus. Which means, if in the wrong hands, the world as we know it can be changed to however the holder sees fit,"

"And Team Galactic want to make a world with no pokemon," I said with a shudder.

"Exactly. Which is why you must hand the stone over to Mr. Grey," The professor told me with a nod.

"No ways," I replied, clutching the stone in my hands "My father left it to me, and I will not be giving the stone to anyone,"

"Miss. Stone, you are in no position to look after such an important artifact," Mr. Grey insisted.

A nagging sense in the back of my mind told me not to trust this man.

"Please professor, if I can just receive my starter pokemon, I'll be on my way," I pleaded.

"Oh, I almost forgot," The professor said, his voice slightly hysterical "In all of this madness, Team Galactic took the starter pokemon. I have no pokemon here for you,"

I felt myself start to panic. "But, sir, how will I go on my journey?"

"We will have more starter pokemon in a few weeks," The professor replied "And you are more than welcome to stay here in the meantime,"

I didn't think that would be a good idea. Team Galactic knew where I was, and they were after the stone.

"Oh, I have something else for you," The professor continued. "These were left in the possession of the previous orphanage owners. Your father left them for you,"

I grabbed the package from the professor, revealing a large wad of cash, a bank card, a bank statement explaining that a very, very large sum of money had been transferred to a bank account in my name, as well as papers claiming that I now was the owner of a large estate in the Hoenn region. I had gone from being a very poor orphan, to a millionaire, in the space of a few moments.

"This is mine?" I asked.

"All of it," The professor replied. "But you may not wish to use any of it yet, until we get everything sorted out with Team Galactic. They are able to trace your bank card whenever you use it,"

"Oh," I said "My father did leave me some cash though,"

"You can always come back to the Illuminators headquarters with me," Mr. Grey told me "It is a fair distance though. It is in Sinnoh,"

"Oh, no thank you," I replied "Though, I would like to go shopping. I don't have much, and I'll probably need a few things for my journey,"

"This is not the time for shopping, anything you could possibly need is at the Illuminators headquarters," Mr. Grey said, his voice rising.

"I think shopping would be a great idea," The professor interrupted "While you go out, I'll call the other professors and see if I can have a starter transferred,"

"Thanks professor, I won't be long," I told him, shoving my new belongings into my bag, and heading out the door.

The city center wasn't far from the lab, and in the opposite direction of the orphanage. I managed to get there without any more incidents, and entered the first shop I saw for trainers clothing.

A lady came out from behind the desk "Can I help you?" She asked, giving me a look that clearly said I didn't belong here.

"I need a trainer's uniform, and a coordinators dress," I replied.

"Well, we do have a few discounted items over there," She replied, pointing to a corner of the shop.

"Money's not a problem," I replied "I just need something that looks nice, and will last a while,"

"Well, have a look around, everything is colour coordinated. Just please don't try on anything you can't afford," She said, returning to the counter.

I ended up getting a black pleated skirt, paired with a white top and grey vest that had pale blue bows on both pockets. And a grey headband for my hair, with a black bow on it. Light blue sneakers completed the look. I grabbed three lots of each item of clothing, knowing I would definitely need more than one set between pokemon centers. For my coordinators outfit I chose a knee length white dress with white ruffled sleeves and a blue sash around the upper waist that ended in a bow at the back. The bottom of the dress & the sleeves were edged in blue lace. The headband I would use for my every day outfit would complete the look perfectly.

Before heading to the front counter, I grabbed a black satchel bag from the accessories section that contained heaps of pockets and plenty of room. A sleeping bag was already attached to the side of it.

"So how do you expect to pay for this?" The girl at the counter asked.

I pulled the bank card out of my bag, thinking it didn't really matter if I used it. Team Galactic already knew where I was. I entered the pin number, and changed back into the trainer's outfit, before leaving with my purchases.

Before returning to the lab, I grabbed a few different types of pokemon medicine, poke balls, some human food, as well as pokemon food, a small pot I could use to cook food in and boil water, and some drawing materials for if I ever got bored or inspired during my journey. I also took out a large amount of cash from the ATM. It would definitely come in handy for my journey, especially if I couldn't use the bank card.

xOxOx

"Did you have any luck?" I asked the professor when I returned to the lab.

"Unfortunately none of my colleagues have starter pokemon they can spare at the moment," He replied.

"Then it is settled, you will head to Sinnoh with me!" Mr. Grey said.

I felt really uneasy about him insisting I return with him to the Illuminators headquarters and hand over the Galaxy Stone.

"Can't I just stay here?" I asked.

"As much as I would love the company, I am just not equipped to look after you," The professor replied "If Team Galactic came back, they would take you and the stone with them,"

I sighed. I couldn't see any way out of this yet. Unless I could escape. "Can we at least stay here the night?" I asked.

"Of course," Mr. Grey said with a huge grin.

"There is a guest room at the end of the corridor, you are more than welcome to use it," The professor told me.

I excused myself and headed straight for the room. When I opened the door I sighed with relief. There was a large window that exited into the forest. It was already open, letting a gentle breeze into the room. I decided to stay for a while longer, I would have a much better chance escaping at night time.

I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. I was exhausted from the day's events, and a nap couldn't hurt.

xOxOx

I woke to the sound of my name being called.

"Azure… Azure,"

I looked around my room, but everything was pitch black.

"It's time to go," The voice continued.

I felt a slight pain in my head as the voice continued "Through the window,"

I grabbed my bag and headed over to the window.

The Riolu from earlier was standing outside of my door.

"Everyone is sleeping," It told me "So we need to leave now,"

I pulled myself onto the windowsill, and jumped out into the forest. "Where are we going?" I asked the Riolu.

"That is up to you," It replied.

"Do you have a name?" I asked it.

"Lucy," She replied.

"I think we should go the last place they will expect us to. We have to go to Sinnoh," I told her.

"Then we are heading in the wrong direction. We must go to Rustboro, and onto the ship," Lucy told me.

I nodded "How long will that take?"

"I have a friend who can get us there instantly," She informed me. "She is just a few meters ahead,"

We entered into another clearing to find a large Pidgeot.

Riolu talked to the Pidgeot in words I couldn't understand then told me to climb on.

"It might be easier for Pidgeot if you put me in a poke ball first," She added.

"Oh, are you sure?" I asked her.

"Definitely," She replied.

I pulled a poke ball out of my bag, and threw it at her. It didn't even flash red, she was captured instantly. I climbed onto the Pidgeot's back, holding on for life. "Please don't do anything crazy," I asked her.

She made a sound that sounded a lot like laughing and took off into the air.

xOxOx

It didn't take long for us to reach Rustboro City, but I had to wait until the following morning before I could purchase a ticket to Sinnoh, using the cash my father had left me. The ship left early in the morning, and would take about a week to get to Sinnoh. I knew I wouldn't be able to relax until we reached our destination. I clutched the Galaxy Stone to my chest, wishing my father had left it with someone else. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I failed and the stone ended up in the wrong hands.


End file.
